The Gnomes of Squash Lake

One of my favorite places on earth, and probably the only other place that can bring back childhood nostalgia comparable to the house I grew up in, is my Aunt’s house in Rhinelander.

Earlier this month we visited my Aunt Nancy, my mom’s sister, at her cottage overlooking the beautiful Squash Lake.  I always look forward to seeing what my Aunt is up to.  Whether it is in her yard tending to her wild flowers, on her deck repainting the outdoor furniture or her own artwork hung around the house…I have always admired her independence and spirit.  If she wants to create something- she creates it.  If she wants to change something- she changes it!

But one thing that never changes is her flair for the whimsical!

This visit I couldn’t help but notice that my Aunt had collected a few more gnomes since the last time I was there, to help reside over her lake home…

 So I thought I’d share a little piece of my Aunt Nancy’s paradise through her Gnomes!

Here is one posed next to some of her artwork…

The Flight of the Dragonflies!

From the older concrete gnomes to the newer ones hanging out inside and on the deck, I know I can always count on these fellas greeting me from now on…

Because things change at Squash Lake…  The shoreline changes from the dry years to those with heavier snow in the winter.  The color of the redwood furniture changes.  The gnomes multiply…but the feeling of summer stays the same.  The smell of waking up at the lake in the morning after a rainstorm…the way the sun twinkles across the water late in the day…

The sound of a loon calling in the distance as you start a beachside campfire…

The way my Aunt says-

“Oh honey!”

Those are the things you can always count on at Squash Lake…

The gnomes- they know it too!

Hope you are creating summer memories that last a lifetime!